Discover Orschwihr

Orschwihr brings together vineyard landscapes, distinctive architectural history and a hill with a protected natural area. You can focus your stay on different themes: the Sentier viticole runs over the Bollenberg and Pfingsberg and explains viticulture and winemaking; the Church of Saint-Nicolas and the former château offer historic points of interest. Nearby, the Bollenberg adds to the landscape theme. The church’s monumental nativity scene also gives your travel plans a clear seasonal focus.

Architectural history and distinctive buildings

The former château at 1 Rue du Centre is listed as a historic monument; its protection was recorded on 1 November 1988. The Church of Saint-Nicolas was originally built between 1547 and 1577. Its present nave was built in 1778 and consecrated in 1782. Its architectural history thus spans the 16th to the late 18th century, with the construction dates of the original church and the present nave to be distinguished. The church contains a baptismal font dating from 1669, a 16th-century statue of Saint Nicholas and paintings from the 18th century. The fountain on Place de l'Église has a decagonal basin and an octagonal central pillar; it was replaced by a replica in 1992. Decagonal means the basin has ten sides, while octagonal means the central pillar has eight.

Vineyard trail and landscape

The Sentier viticole d'Orschwihr can be explored independently and has information boards. The boards cover vegetation cycles and the individual stages of winemaking. The trail thus offers two perspectives on viticulture: how the plants develop over the course of the year and the individual stages of processing. It runs over the Bollenberg and Pfingsberg. Near Orschwihr lies the Bollenberg, a 363-metre-high hill of Jurassic limestone between Rouffach, Orschwihr and Westhalten. The Bollenberg is home to a small protected natural area, visited mainly by hikers.

Another type of route is the Circuit du Bollenberg mountain-bike loop. It passes through Orschwihr as well as Bergholtz, Bergholtz-Zell, Rouffach and Westhalten. This gives you two distinct route options: a vineyard trail with explanatory information boards and a mountain-bike loop through several municipalities. The Sainte-Croix Chapel is also located on the Bollenberg. To reach the chapel, head uphill from the east side of Orschwihr village along a short, stony and steep lane. Take this terrain into account when planning your visit.

A seasonal reason to visit

The monumental nativity scene in the Church of Saint-Nicolas is around a hundred years old and attracts numerous visitors from late November to late January. If visiting the nativity scene is important to your trip, check the specific dates for that year locally.

Discover more destinations: Soultzbach-Les-Bains, Heidwiller, Osenbach, Houssen, Wickerschwihr, Bergholtz, Sewen, Traubach-le-Bas

Go to the main travel overview: Haut-Rhin.